Philips 2010 Annual Report Download - page 21

3 Our strategy in action 3.2 - 3.2
Annual Report 2010 21
An extra level of reassurance
This year, millions of older people will suffer a fall and
some may be unable to press their help button. That’s
why we developed a new way to access help.
For an elderly person, a fall can have devastating
consequences. Without immediate help, they may be
incapacitated for hours – suffering physical pain, emotional
distress, or serious secondary medical problems such as
dehydration or hypothermia. For many of these people, it
takes just a single press on one of our Lifeline pendants to
raise the alarm. But some fallers will be disoriented,
unconscious, immobilized, or otherwise unable to push
the help button.
To ensure that everyone is able to access help when
needed, we developed the AutoAlert option for our
Philips Lifeline medical alert service. Lifeline with
AutoAlert provides an added layer of protection by
automatically placing a call for help if a fall is detected.
Sensing falls - not everyday movement
AutoAlert distinguishes between normal movements and
falls by monitoring not just movement but also the
associated acceleration and change in height. This ensures
that daily activities such as sitting down or walking down
stairs are not falsely interpreted as a fall.
The AutoAlert option is just one of many ways we are
helping older people to continue living independently – by
helping to provide the backup and support they need as
soon as it’s required